Sydney's best free weekly club nights

Wednesdays @ AND

Wednesday

The crowd at AND is pretty student-heavy. American Apparel nylon disco pants and balayage abounds, and the men wear seriously low cut singlets, so there's a good chance you'll catch a dude having a nip slip on the dance floor. And yes, the junior crowd can get a little tiring, but those skint little keen beans sure do keep drink prices down. The last time Time Out saw schooners going for a fiver at a nightclub must've been back in our high school days. Hit the karaoke booths for singalongs or the dance floor for electro mash-ups.

Arq Thursdays

Thursday

Unlike Friday and Saturday nights at ARQ where the cover charge is up around the $25 mark, Thursday night entry doesn't cost a cent. And once inside you'll find some of the best drag talent in town. Following on from The Beyonce Experience and High School Musical, the new show is You Are Soul, and Minnie Cooper, Charisma Belle, Decoda Secret and Karen Kardashian sure do werk it. As usual Alex Taylor and Kitty Glitter will be on the decks giving the club's sound system the workout it deserves, but go easy on the Smirnoff Double Blacks – it is a school night.

Girls Gone Mild

Thursday

Our favourite FBi Radio sister duo, Hannah & Eliza Reilly, are now looking after Thursday nights in the GoodGod Front Bar. Start the weekend a little early with a mixed bag of dance floor gems, as the girls riff on a different theme each week, from 'The Warriors' to 'Beat Street Bloc Party'.

Movement

Friday

Niche Productions have long been champions of the underground music scene. They've toured the likes of drum'n'bass king Callibre, Massive Attack's Horace Andy, Brainfeeder boy Lorn and Radio 1's Benji B and recently the edgy promotions and touring company took over Friday nights at the Beach Road. Movement sees resident DJs Kato, Victim, Huwston, Mason & Bennett (Paper Plane Project) and Preacha rotate week to week, treating the crowd to dubstep, future beat, wonky, hip hop and leftfield house.

Yo Grito!

Friday

If garage, punk, fuzz and soul get you going, then head for Yo Grito! – the free rock'n'roll mess hall in the GoodGod front bar. King Opp (Straight Arrows), Daniel Darling (Kill City Creeps) and Silky Doyle man the decks and the raucous shindig is the perfect excuse to slam down some of the Dip's delicious offerings.

Lansdowne Hotel

Saturday

It's opposite Sydney University and students have long known that the Lando's got some of the best in cheap, cheap meals and beer you could hope for. It's also a haven for live bands, as one of the city's only regular venues without a door charge. The PA and stage were upgraded earlier this year, as was the calibre of acts booked for the room, and it's lately become the venue of choice for discerning indie bands from around the country. Free live music Thu-Sat.

Strange Fruit at the Abercrombie

Saturday

We don't know when this grungy local turned into a techno den, but we kinda dig it. The Abercormbie's Strange Fruit parties on Saturday night feature regulars from the Mad Racket, Subsonic, Deep Impressions and Chemistry stables, the sound system is good, the drink prices are very reasonable and there's no cover charge in sight.

Strange Fruit

Sunday

Get ready for a big night of Calypso, Library Music, Spiritual Jazz, Downtempo Soul, Japanese Reggae and Country Blues hosted by Jingle Jangle man Smokey LaBeef at Freda's every Sunday. Check out our exclusive Strange Fruit playlist.